Snow skis with microgrooves

Abstract

A snow ski with one or more small grooves near the undersurface edges, with or without edge inserts typically found on the undersurface of snow skis. The grooves are designed to facilitate rapid and precise maneuvering through snow or ice surfaces. The grooves, formed parallel to the ski edge, are relatively short, nominally between 5 centimeters to 45 centimeters in length, to minimize any tendency for a ski with grooves to track in a straight line. They are typically located near the edge of the ski undersurface and longitudinally under the boot attachment position of the uppersurface. The grooves can be of various shapes designed to optimize the cutting affect of the groove as it complements the cutting of the sharp ski edge during turning maneuvers in the usual manner of skiing. The ski undersurface can be beveled at its side to reduce any increase in drag during straight skiing that may be caused by adding grooves to the undersurface.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a ski for use on ice and snow having an upper surface and an under surface, the upper surface having a binding for receiving a ski boot intermediate the length of the ski and the under surface comprising narrow hard metal strips running substantially the entire length of the ski and along the edges thereof and a plastic surface therebetween, the improvement comprising a groove in one or more of the metal strips and positioned at the under surface opposite the binding and parallel to and located between 0.1 millimeters to 1.0 millimeters from the ski edge, the length of the groove extending between 5 centimeters and 45 centimeters with a maximum length of nominally 20 percent of the length of the ski and having small cross-sectional dimensions whereby the groove provides resistance to lateral slippage without adversely increasing tracking on snow or ice. 
     
     
       2. A ski as in claim 1 characterized in that the cross-sectional dimensions of the groove are between 0.5 millimeters and 2.0 millimeters in width with a minimum depth of 0.1 millimeters.